Has COVID-19 forced your business to operate purely remotely? Are your employees continuing to report to work from their homes full-time? Believe it or not, some organizations had welcomed remote work styles even prior to the pandemic. As a matter of fact, between 2005 and 2018, the number of full-time remote employees had increased by 175%. Of course recent research would certainly see an even more significant increase as pandemic restrictions made remote work a necessity for organizations to offer to their employees. While it’s true that safety is the main concern when it comes to allowing remote work, more and more organizations are realizing additional benefits as a result of their remote staff.
Of course these benefits are also met with some challenges. It can be difficult for managers accustomed to working with their employees in the office to adjust accordingly to remote work. Virtual conferences aren’t nearly as impactful as in-office one on ones. Employees will likely also struggle with remaining engaged with their work at some points throughout their time at home. All levels of an organization will feel some sort of impact as a result of remote work, mainly in regards to isolation as a result of the extended duration of pandemic restrictions.
While all levels of an organization will be impacted a result of remote work, what organizations truly need to worry about is the potential liability that comes from remote work. Situations such as remote employees injuring themselves while on the clock at home, data breaches as a result of their insecure networks and hardware that is either broken or stolen from remote employees are all liability nightmares for organizations to solve. When enabling remote work, organizations have to adjust their insurance policies accordingly to ensure their employees are covered in situations like those listed above. Just as important, however, is workers’ compensation policies. All benefits that employees have come to expect in-office should be respected as they continue working remotely.
This may all seem like a lot for organizations to handle. The truth is, most of these situations can be avoided. What organizations truly have to prepare for amidst all of the remote work is the threat of cyberattacks or breaches. Organizations are responsible for keeping their data and their clients’ data safe and secure. Meaning remote employees will have to use a virtual private network when connecting from home. It’s also worth installing the latest firewall and antivirus software for these remote employees. When necessary, businesses can also look to cyber liability insurance policies to cover any damages. Both first-party and third-party liability policies can protect businesses from these breaches.
Businesses are responsible for creating a welcoming environment as employees continue to work from home. Most importantly, they need to prioritize the safety of their employees while simultaneously protecting their most valuable data. For more information on how to do all of this and more, be sure to check out the infographic coupled alongside this post. Courtesy of B2Z Insurance
